This invention relates to an apparatus for providing reaction mixtures and more particularly to such apparatus for providing reaction mixtures which have interacted for a predetermined period of time.
Available automated reagent dispensing apparatus is generally expensive with accompanying limited flexibility since reagents available from the dispenser are limited due to a limited number of associated reservoirs. A great deal of mechanical intricacy is required for dispensing one reagent in one cuvette and another reagent in an adjacent cuvette, etc. A restricted number of reaction mixtures results.
Semi-automatic reaction mixture apparatus involves dispensing many different reagents in adjacent cuvettes. Subsequent dispensing of samples in the cuvettes provides reaction mixtures which may be timed and measured or observed at the end of predetermined reaction times. In this instance, time must be observed for a plurality of reactions occuring simultaneously and risk of incorrect sample-reagent mixtures is ever present.
There is therefore a need for a timed reaction mixture device in which accurate amounts of sample and reagent may be placed prior to mixing, and in which the reaction mixture may be automatically timed and presented to a measuring station.